Ariana Bliss-Pryor is a licensed master social worker who specializes in working with children, adolescents, and young adults. She supports clients navigating a range of challenges, including anxiety, ADHD, emotional regulation, identity development, trauma, and adoption-related experiences.

 

Ariana earned her Master of Social Work with a clinical concentration from The Catholic University of America. Her passion for child and adolescent mental health was sparked early and further deepened through her work at the Floortime Center in Bethesda, MD, where she supported neurodivergent children, including those on the autism spectrum and with developmental delays, using the Greenspan Floor Time Approach®. She is certified as a Floortime Greenspan Floortime Specialist.

As a clinical intern at the Barker Adoption Foundation, Ariana provided trauma-informed therapy to adopted children and teens, supporting them in building emotional awareness, processing adoption- related experiences, and developing healthy coping skills. She additionally facilitated mindfulness-based groups for teens with ADHD and worked with families to support emotional connection and strengthen family bonds. Her therapeutic style is warm, playful, and person-centered, integrating techniques from cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), narrative therapy, mindfulness, and play therapy. She is committed to creating a supportive, culturally responsive environment that honors each client’s unique story and strengths.

Ariana is proud to have grown up in the D.C. area and finds meaning in supporting children and families in the community she calls home. Outside the therapy room, she finds joy in yoga, meditation, long walks with her chocolate lab Penny, and bringing moments of calm and creativity into everyday life, both personally and professionally.